Coleman Criticized For Disclosure Error

Democrats Counterattack In Land Case

September 08, 1989|By BOB KEMPER Staff Writer

RICHMOND — After weeks of listening to Republicans criticize Democratic gubernatorial candidate L. Douglas Wilder for mistakes on financial disclosure forms, it was the Democrats' turn to attack Thursday after they learned that Republican J. Marshall Coleman had made an error of his own.

Larry H. Framme III, chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, suggested at a hastily called Capitol news conference that Coleman or his campaign manager may have deliberately misled people about his part in a California land deal.

Coleman is a member of a partnership that owns 83 acres in California.

An aide mistakenly reported on the disclosure form that the partnership was in Fairfax instead of California.

"Can you believe Mr. Coleman?" Framme said. "There is reason to believe that Mr. Coleman misled the public about the true facts of his California land deal in order to avoid having to reveal the full extent of his potential liability in this risky deal."

Framme also said the matter should be looked at to see if an investigation by the state attorney general is warranted.

The charge was among several Framme has reeled off in the past two days as the Democrats launched a counteroffensive against Republicans, who for weeks have been criticizing Wilder about land and stock he omitted from disclosure forms.

Framme's latest charges were made after a newspaper reported Thursday morning that Coleman was involved in a $900,000 land deal with a California partnership, MCM, L.P.

The article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch claimed that Coleman's campaign manager, M. Marcus Boyd, had reported on Coleman's disclosure forms that the firm was from Fairfax when in fact it is based in California.

It also reported that Coleman did not know whether it was limited or a general partnership, a distinction that could greatly affect how much Coleman could lose if the partnership failed.

It is a general partnership, even though the "L.P." after the name suggests that it is a limited partnership, the paper said.

Bruce Hildebrand said comparing the error on Coleman's forms to the omissions on Wilder's was "comparing apples and oranges."

Two of the partners in the land deal - Coleman and James J. Martell Jr. - were living around Fairfax at the time the forms were being filled out and so that was listed as the company's address, Hildebrand said.

Wilder's omissions include failing to note several years ago the he owned a rundown Richmond townhouse and, more recently, that he owned 27 acres in Louisa County and some bank stock.

All of the assets were held by a trust of which Wilder is the sole beneficiary.

The attorney general's office investigated Wilder at his own request and cleared him of wrongdoing.